


What Lies Beneath

by One_of_Three



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Action/Adventure, Could Be Canon, Gen, Post-Star Wars: A New Hope, Pre-Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, just a fun story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:48:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23923357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/One_of_Three/pseuds/One_of_Three
Summary: Our story takes place Post-A New Hope and (following the Marvel Comics' storyline) after Darth Vader discovers Luke is his son (and then, you know, spends his time scourging the galaxy for him).Luke Skywalker travels to the planet of Ashas Ree after learning from Ben's journal that it is the location of a Jedi Temple. Little does he know that he is being pursued by the fearsome Darth Vader. Luke makes a dark discovery in the Temple and inadvertently falls into a trap. He may receive help from an unwanted source...
Kudos: 15





	What Lies Beneath

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write a story that included an actual Jedi Temple and in doing research for finding a suitable story setting, Ashas Ree's Temple of the Force stuck out as awesome. It was a central focus in the show Star Wars Resistance (Epi. “The Relic Raiders”) and I borrowed some elements from that story just to jump-start mine, so I wanted to make sure I gave proper credit to that source.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

The planet was a green blur as the X-Wing hovered above, its dense forests covering the terra firma like a thick blanket. For Luke Skywalker, the forests of Ashas Ree hopefully contained the mysteries to the destroyed history of the Jedi. 

From the back of his X-wing, Luke heard a questioning chirp from his loyal astromech R2D2.

“I know R2,” Luke agreed. “We’re a long way from the Alliance now. But I have to go here, Ben wrote in his journal that there was an important Jedi Temple on Ashas Ree. Maybe it’s still possible to go there, and maybe then I can learn more about being a Jedi and the ways of the Force.”

Luke didn’t realize that he had cleaned the controls of his fighter a little tighter when he said that.

R2 whistled thoughtfully and Luke exhaled—a sort of preparation.  
“Alright, buddy, ready to see what’s below?”

Luke heard several excited beeps behind him, and he smiled. With a sense of nervous enthusiasm, he guided the X-Wing to the planet below.

***

Unbeknownst to Luke, a lone TIE Fighter was traveling to Ashas Ree on a pursuit of its own. Piercing quickly through the sea of space, Darth Vader followed the glowing Force trail leading to the planet. 

Leading to Skywalker.

Since Vader had learned the truth of Skywalker’s identity, he had gone on a Galaxy-wide mission to find him. With the combination of good intel, mild “persuasion,” and now the presence of his Force signature, it seemed finding Skywalker was unavoidable. Indeed, to Vader, Skywalker’s Force signature called out to him like a homing beacon, and had the warming, surrounding intensity of a spring sun. Once Vader landed on the planet, he would make quick work of finding Skywalker.  
Of finding his son.

***

Luke jumped down from the X-Wing and took a wide look around Ashas Ree. After clearing his landing area of immediate threats, Luke took in the surroundings. After a lifetime on Tatoonie, he was still shocked by any Planet not covered with dusty swirling sands and sweltering heat.  
The ground was a solid, rich-brown dirt, perfect for vegetation. Indeed, dark grass and bushes as well as towering trees sprouted in expansive patches. Luke could barely see through the woods in front of him though he could hear the sounds of various small wildlife. The air was cool and a slight mist hovered in the air—he had just missed the rain. While he may not have listed it as the most beautiful Planet, it did possess a sense of tranquility to Luke. 

Luke’s orange flight suit was a glaring contrast to the world’s natural settings, making him feel overly visible. He quickly stripped it off, revealing light cargo-like fatigues underneath. He tossed the flight suit into the X-Wing’s open cockpit pondering where he should start. R2 beeped as he hooked his belt around his waist, securing his blaster and father’s lightsaber on his sides.

“Well, it’s not like I thought we’d land _right_ where we needed to: Ben didn’t give the exact location of the Temple. But it is here. The question is just where to start...” 

R2 beeped accusingly.

“I’m not lost! We landed right where we needed to! I can feel it! The Force has a definite presence here; it’s like it’s pulling me. I just need to find where exactly it’s pulling me,” Luke glanced around again.

It seemed he had landed in the only clearing, the woods encircled him with no discernable paths leading into them.  
Why, then, had he felt compelled to land here?  
As nervousness began to tighten within his chest, Luke forced himself to relax. He closed his eyes.

_Calm down,_ he thought, _focus, concentrate._

While his understanding of the Force was severely lacking—hence the reason he was here—Ben had at least taught him to search his feelings, that sense within himself that felt connected to everything else. 

It was like tapping into a power both infinite and minute, wild and gentle. 

As he could feel the Force rushing into him, Luke opened his eyes. From the woods, tiny, flying luminescent insects began to emerge. The light that they emulated was almost silver rather than yellow like a traditional sort of firefly, the defining trait of Parvinoths.  
Luke stood transfixed as a small swarm of Parvinoths flew towards him, a bright cloud of light. They hung around him like an aurora, and Luke could sense that they were...waiting for him?

“R2, stay with the ship, I’ll be back.”

R2 bleeped indigently. 

Luke smiled at him reassuringly. “I’ll be fine! I need you to stay here in case we need to make a quick get-away. That seems to be a trend with us, right?” He gave the droid a wink.

“Okay,” Luke said in the midst of Parvinoths. “Uh, lead the way.”

The Parvinoths drifted back into the tree lines, guiding Luke through the deep forests of Ashas Ree, hopefully towards the answers he so desperately needed.

***

As he followed the Parvinoths, Luke fully trusted that this was what he was supposed to be doing: it just _felt right._  
After trudging through the forest for a short while, he was led to its edge. As he exited the woods into the clearing, Luke gave a small gasp. In front of him was the remains of a once truly impressive temple, both in statute and presence. 

_This is it, Ben,_ he thought as the Parvinoths whizzed above his head in a flurry before gradually retreating once again into the thick forest,  
_The Temple of the Force._

The Temple of the Force was imposing: it was a thick, trapezoid-like structure, narrowing at the top, constructed of alabaster blocks with zig-zagging patterns carved into its walls. The temple rested upon a raised foundation that was cracked yet dense.  
Curiously, it had no door. Just a gaping entrance that matched the temple’s shape. 

“Looks like an invitation to me,” Luke said aloud to himself. Peering inside the opening, hardly any light was allowed inside the temple; its contents refused to be visible without a proper entrance. 

So without allowing himself the time to hesitate, Luke plunged into the Temple’s darkness, hand on his lightsaber.

***

Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, did not need Parvinoths to lead him the Temple of the Force. It was much easier just to follow Skywalker’s blinding force signature—his own personal guiding light. Vader had landed his TIE fighter on the other side of the Temple than Skywalker, in a much closer clearing. 

Vader knew much more about the Temple of the Force than him.

With purposeful strides, Vader quickly made his way to the Temple, aware that Skywalker had a considerable head start on him. Not that it was of any consequence; he would find him and snare him in the Temple. For that place had a way of confusing and trapping those who were unaware of its history and purpose. 

No, it wouldn’t be difficult at all.

Vader stood in front of the Temple’s entrance, much like Skywalker had before: he could feel the young man’s lingering presence, but still bright as ever. 

Though Vader would never admit to feeling eager, he did enter the Temple of the Force fervently. 

***

The temple walls did not match the outside. Luke was immediately engulfed in darkness as soon as he entered. The walls were a rough, absorbing black, taking in whatever light there could have been. As Luke took a few cautious steps in the dark, dreading the thought of spending the entire journey smothered in blackness, he remembered that he did have a light source with him: his father’s lightsaber. Pulling it free from his belt, he activated it and the familiar comforting blue glow cut thought the black.

Luke sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

He had barely uttered his gratitude when a humming filled the air. Shielding himself with the lightsaber, Luke checked all around looking for the source. It sounded like it was coming from the walls. Slowly, the same zig-zagging patterns that covered the outside of the temple became visible on the walls, giving off a bright red hue. 

It was like using his lightsaber had triggered their glow.

As pitch-black gave way to a red dim, the humming stopped. It wasn’t the most comforting light source, but the temple’s anatomy was now clear. Luke slowly lowered his saber, deactivated it, and hung it back on his belt. He wasn’t going to walk around paranoid.  
It seemed the only way to go was straight, to follow the path he was already on. It eventually led him to what he figured was the Temple’s center; the straight hallway opening to a large interior. In the center was a pedestal with a small black object. It was shaped exactly like the temple's exterior—a squat trapezoid, and the same color as the black walls. It too had the glowing red zig-zagging patterns on it.

Luke scrunched his face in curiosity at the object. He could feel great power radiating off it, he could feel the Force within it.

It didn’t feel right.

And yet...Luke felt compelled. Despite a small voice in the back of his head telling him that this object shouldn’t be trusted, he wanted to look at it, touch it. 

_Nothing wrong with just looking at it,_ he reasoned. _I don’t know what it is, so I have to examine it, right?_

Of course.

Luke made his way towards the pedestal and the strange object. The room was totally empty besides this centerpiece; he could perceive no other dangers.

At the final step, he reached his hand out towards the object, transfixed.

Suddenly, the ground directly under him began to quake. The movement was much too rapid and Luke had no time to react before the floor beneath him pulled down with a yanking intensity. He gave a startled yelp as he was dragged downward. Before he knew it, Luke Skywalker was trapped beneath The Temple of the Force.

***

“No way,” Luke muttered. There was no way he was that ignorant, that _stupid_ to not expect some sort of trap. And something as basic as a pressure plate!

He laughed, a little hysterically. Yes, Commander Luke Skywalker, destroyer of the Death Star, was _that stupid._

Luke looked up, trying to gauge how far down he was from the temple’s main level. He could just barely make out the ceiling if he squinted so at least he wasn’t miles below. While he had room to twist and turn, the walls were narrow and impossibly smooth and slick—climbing or shimmying up wouldn’t be an option. Just putting his hands on the sides felt greasy.

_You are, by far, the biggest idiot in the galaxy, and that’s saying a lot,_ he admonished himself. 

He sighed. Insulting himself wasn’t going to get him out of this. He needed to think productively.

_Okay, at least R2 knows I’m here, I mean, not here here. But eventually he’ll get worried and let Han or Leia know something’s up and they’ll come find me._

Guilt and shame filled his heart. _Oh yeah, that’s my plan to rescue myself? Get others to do it for me?_

Luke put a hand on his neck and rubbed thoughtfully.  
“What would a Jedi do?”

Drawing on the Force like he did before, Luke felt energized and strong. Taking a breath and swinging his arms back, he jumped: higher than he ever had before, but not enough to get out of his underground prison. He swore softly as he landed hard on his feet. Though he couldn’t help but be somewhat proud of his progress with the Force.  
He tried again, getting a bit higher, though his landing was uneven and he stumbled roughly onto the wall.  
“Third time’s the charm,” Luke enthused and prepared for his next jump—

He was frozen solid when he heard the deep, even breathing of a respirator. A dark presence approaching.  
The breathing was getting closer and Luke swallowed hard, trying to get as far as he could from it. He promptly backed into the wall of his narrow, vertical prison.

“It would seem, young Skywalker, that you’ve fallen into some trouble.” Darth Vader’s low voice boomed. The sense of amusement he received from his predicament was not lost on Luke; he felt oddly defensive and angry.

“I’ve got it under control.” Luke peered up and could now see the towering black figure, and though he was still deathly afraid of the adversary, he crossed his arms in a show of defiance and nonchalance. 

“Oh? If you _truly_ had it under control, you would not have been so easily swayed and in the position you are now.” Vader had expertly avoided all traps in the interior, and resisted the pedestal’s calling.

Luke hadn’t meant to engage, but his curiosity had trumped fear, commonsense, everything. “What do you mean?”

“You activated the pressure plate because you tried to take that artifact, correct?” Vader said accusingly.

“I wasn’t going to take it! I was just going to look at it!”

“Did you not question why you were being drawn to it so strongly and submissively,” Vader charged. “That is no ordinary artifact—it is a Sith Relic, designed specifically to corrupt and consume power.”

Luke instantly felt chilled, goosebumps covered his skin while the hairs on the back of his neck rose. 

“I don’t understand.”  
“This is no true Jedi Temple, Skywalker.” Vader stated. “This is merely a façade for the Sith Temple it’s built upon. The Jedi have a habit of burying uncomfortable truths.” Vader glanced at the relic “Yet they saw fit to selfishly hold unto powerful weapons.”

Luke violently shook his head. “That’s not true! The Jedi would have a good reason for why’d they’d keep such evil here: probably to stop people like you from finding it!”

“Calm yourself Skywalker, I’m not here for the relic,” Vader assured.

“Then why— “

“I’m here for you.”

“What?!” Luke cried. “No way I’m going with you.”

“It appears you don’t have a choice.” Vader declared. “There’s only one way out of here, Skywalker, and that is with me.”  
Darth Vader peered down at Luke and seemed to look directly into his eyes. “There’s no escape without me.”

Vader stuck his hand out over the missing floor and Luke felt the power of the Force near his feet. It was stronger than anything he could ever muster—this felt formidable, dark, and drowning. Nevertheless, the ground underneath him began to lift as this frightening power pulled the pressure platform back up. Back to the temple, back to ground level, back to Vader.  
In less than a minute, Luke Skywalker was back in the temple’s interior, directly facing the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Forces, Darth Vader.

Luke huffed, arms still crossed. “I’m not thanking you.”

Vader gave a small nod. “I was not expecting one, young rebel. I don’t believe courtesy to be in your repertoire, however impressive it may otherwise be.”

Luke’s mouth dropped slightly: was he just insulted? 

“Now,” Vader continued, “as you can see there’s nothing for you here. Anything that could have been meaningful to the Jedi is long gone, just like them. This is a resting ground for the Dark-side, not the Jedi, though they tried to hide and deny as is the Jedi way. And unless you wish to be consumed by Sith creations...” He glanced towards the relic close to Luke. 

Luke looked at Vader quizzically. “Don’t you want it?” It was a genuine question, though Luke was slowly inching away from the impending figure in front of him. 

Vader scoffed. “The Emperor may have an interest in such items, but I myself do not. Nor do I crave the contrived power they possess. Perhaps a weaker opponent needs such an advantage.”

“Ah.” Luke had nothing more to say and no real escape plans, well, no _good_ escape plans.

That meant it was his only option...

“We have stayed here long enough,” said Vader. “We leave now. I will call for an Imperial shuttle once we have left the temple and we will wait for its arrival. Your fate lies with me Skywalker.” Vader made a move to grab Luke.

“Stop!” Luke yelled. He pulled out his blaster and scurried back towards the way he had come. He pointed the blaster at Vader. “Don’t come any closer!”

Vader returned his arms to his sides, his posture signaling that he was indifferent to the outburst.

“I’m disappointed in you, Skywalker. I would have thought that you would have learned that I am not defeated by you and your weapons so easily, even when— “

Luke refocused the blaster at the object on the pedestal, and fired.

Who knew Dark Force artifacts were so fragile. 

Both Vader and Luke where thrown off their feet. The small object had shattered with a great burst of red light, and released a gale of hurricane-like wind. The room became scorching and blinding, like the center of the furnace. The power held inside the artifact was escaping in a tremendous eruption.

In the midst of the hot breeze, Luke scrambled to his feet, nearly tripping as he barreled out the room into the hallway. He sprinted down the dark, red glowing hallway, never looking back. He nearly cried in relief when he saw the Temple’s entrance. Luke ran out and kept running, his breath ragged as he broke into the forest. Without the Parvinoths to guide him it was considerably darker, but he pushed forward, following his intuition.  
It seemed like he had been running for hours when he finally burst through a clearing, back to where he had first landed, where his X-Wing and R2 were joyously awaiting him.

R2 chirped a happy greeting.

“Good to see you too, but we gotta go, now! Start her up now!” Luke yelled as he hauled himself inside the X-Wing, stuffing his flight suit into the corner of his seat.

R2 bleeped in confusion and panic but the X-Wing’s engine roared to life.

“I’ll explain later, just get us outta here R2, please!” Luke shamelessly whined as he began to operate the spacecraft’s controls. 

Gradually, the X-Wing began to lift off the ground, and made its way into the night-blue sky. Breaking through the atmosphere, Ashas Ree was finally far, far below him. Luke put his head back and laughed. His heart was pounding even though he knew he had made.

“Remind me R2,” Luke joked. “To never touch things that don’t belong to me.”

R2 chirped knowingly.

“Yeah, I doubt I’ll follow that too. But I think it’s time to go join our friends. They probably need our help, right?” Luke checked the coordinates Leia had sent him with the Alliance’s latest base; it wouldn’t be long until he caught up with them.

R2 whistled happily and Luke smiled. He couldn’t wait to see his friends. 

***

Vader was left with Skywalker’s mess. Yet Darth Vader stood in the eye of the storm; the dark, biting Force surrounded him, but it not dared to touch him. This power knew its place. 

A true Sith had no fear of consumption from a mere artifact if they themselves controlled the Force, not merely possessed it. 

Indeed, Vader had sensed that there was a dark power hungering to get out of the Temple and it had been correct in drawing young Skywalker. Whether through corruption, or his choice of destruction, the dark force was free. There was no way to control it now.

Vader did not like power unchecked. Vader lifted his hand drawing on his own Force strength to contain the escaped power. He succeeded in containing it in the interior. He would make sure it stayed that way. He slowly began pulling at the Temple’s structure and foundation itself, drawing on the buried Sith strength below. 

The Temple started to crumble.

Vader began to back out of the room, still holding the dark power in place and tearing the Temple down with the Force. He continued his slow task of demolition as he strode out the Temple. Then, when he was free of its wide entrance, Vader gazed upon it one last time, made a fist, and the structure fully crumpled.

The Temple of the Force was no more.

The dark force was contained, trapped in ruins of both the Jedi and Sith.

_It deserved to be ruined_ , he thought bitterly. _It was nothing but deception._

Vader was further chagrined that Skywalker had escaped his grasp. 

This time.

“You cannot run forever, Luke Skywalker.” Vader said aloud. “No one can run from their destiny.”


End file.
